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A. H. GOTTSCHAll. 



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A ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS," 



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MARIETTA, PA.: 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 

1877. 






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B©YS, 



4T AT HO 






A. H. GOTTSCHAll. 



'•A ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS. 



MARIETTA. PA.: 

PUBLISIIED BY THE AUTHOR. 

1877. 



Entered accunling to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by 

A.i H. Gottschall, 
in tlie Otiice ot the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



DEDICATION. 



Compositors and Pressmen of the Chicago Sun, 

Who were my Fikst 

Companions at the Oasb 

AND Press, this Narrativk is 

Most Afpectionately 

Dedicated by 

THE AUTHOR. 



BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 



CHAPTER I. 

EARLY HISTORY-I RUN AWAY FROM HOME--"t)N THE TRAMP" '-OVERHAULED BY CHIPPE- 
WA IKDIANS-AN UNEXPECTED DIVE IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER-THE RED PIPE STONK 
QUARRY-" ROUGHING IT"' ON THE PLAINS OF DAKOTA--SIOUX INDIAN MODE OF BUR- 
lAL-IN CLOSE QOAKTERS-A FRIEXDLY SIOUX CHIEF-SIOUX LANGUAGE. 

I WAS born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1854. Like most 
l>oys, early in life, I was possessed with an intense longing to see 
the Lidians and buffalo in their native wilds, and to travel — ;i 
desire that has since been gratified far beyond my most distant 
expectations, and greatly to my sorrow. 

Even before the event of donning trowsers and brass-toed boots. 
I was the happy owner of a toy bow and arrow, as well as minia- 
ture steamboats and railroads. 

As I grew older, the perusal of Indian Romances, Pirate Tale>. 
and the like, occupied much of the time, which I now think, should 
have been devoted to something more useful. 

Thoughts of running away from home, and plans for carrj-inj 
tliem out, soon filled my head, and when in my fifteenth 3'ear, like 
manj' other foolish lioys, 1 made my bundle and started on a "wild 
goose chase," without once giving a thought to the policy of the 
undertaking. 

The first point of destination was New York, where J expected 
to get aboard a ship that was al)out to sail for Caifornia, Ijut tin 
captain gave me such a discouraging account of a trip around tin 
(,'ape, that I abandoned the project, and went to Philadelphia. 

After wandering aV)out the streets of that city for several da3"s. 
in quest of emplo3'ment, 1 learned that W. H. Sutton, and E. Wain, 
lawyers occup^'ing separate offices at No. 721 Walnut Street. 
wanted a copyist. 

I soon found the place, and after managing to answer their vari- 
ous questions about home, without telling how I had left it, I ob- 
tained the situation. 

(9) 



10 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

My employers were true Christian gentlemen, and among the 
most successful lawyers in the city. Had I remained with them, 
and stuck to "Blackstone," I might have done well, but I was bent 
upon following my own reckless inclinations. 

After a year's sojourn I started for Brainerd, a small town in 
Northern Minnesota, which was then the terminus of the Xorthem 
Pacific Railroad. 

On reaching my destination I was pretty Avell "used up," fo)- I 
had been nearly two weeks on the wa}', and had " roughed it" oii 
freight cars the entire distance. 

After a bath in the Mississippi, I took a stroll about the town, 
and while thus engaged, a gentleman who was sitting on the porcli 
in front of his house, opened a conversation, and addressed me 
as follows: "Well friend, how do you find it on tlie tramp these 
days?" "I Iiave been there myself and know all about it." " Come 
in and make j-ourself at home, the 'latch-string' always hangs out 
for tramps at m^- house, and my 'better half has a warm place in 
her heart for all wanderers far from home." * 

My host, Mr. Frank Russell, was one of the first men in town, 
although he had landed a few years before devoid of means. 

After remaining a few days in Brainerd •! joined a party of Gov- 
ernment survej'ors, and accompanied tliem to the Chippewa In- 
dian country, in Northern Minnesota. 

Here, for the first time, I came in contact with the " noble red 
man," but I must confess that I was more than a little disappoint- 
ed in him, for I soon found tliat the noble, dignified and generou> 
Indian pictured in the pages of romance, is not always to be found 
in tlie shape of a genuine savage. 

One day, while near Leach Lake, alone, four Chippewas whe 
had been gathering blue-berries, espied me in the distance, and 
lost no time in becoming better acquainted with me. 

As they drew near they began to stone me, but I paid no atten- 
tion to them and walked on 

They soon came up to me, and after the usual "How! How!" 
began to make themselves unpleasantly familiar. Two of them 
held me, while the other two made an ettbrt to search my pockets, 
and tried to take my revolver, but having it in m}^ hand, with the 
muzzle toward them, thej- concluded to let me retain it. 



BOYS, STAY AT HOME. U 

Only one of them was armed, his weapon being an old shot gun. 
I requested him to let me see it, which he did without hesita- 
ting. I then made him understand that I wanted to discharge it, 
and see if it was a good gun. At this he became very angry, and 
told me that he had only one percussion cap. 

I knew if that cap was off the gun they would be harmless, but 
with it on, they were liable to use it in order to get my clothes, 
and then sink my body in the lake, so I removed the cap from the 
tube and dropped it in the sand, pretending to have done so acci- 
dentally, and while looking for it I of course, was careful totram]) 
it deeper into the sand. 

They became very angry, ))ut there was no remedy, and my re- 
volvei' f'ontjuned live caitridges that meant business. 

Oiu' of the Indians remarked that as I had examined their guii. 
I should give them the same privilege witli my revolver. That, n< 
doubt, would have l>eeii fair enough, but I declined. 

They then suddenly clinnged their demeanor, and invited me to 
accompany them to their lodges in the timber. I informed them 
that the camp of the white men was near by. and that I would o(, 
there. 

1 then started for camp without further ceremony, and the In- 
dians shortly after disappeared among the pines. 

A few days after this, while on the bank of the Upper Missis- 
sippi, near Pakagamon Falls, I concluded to try my skill at pad- 
dling an Indian canoe thttt had been left on the shore by some 
Red Lake Chippewas, who were some miles away hunting in tlie 
forest. 

1 soon had the craft in tlie water, for it was very light, having 
been constructed entirely of birch-bark. I no sooner put one foot 
in the canoe, than over it went, bottom side up, and the boy in 
ten feet of water. I could not swim an inch, and how I got out. I 
cannot to this day conceive. A strange, indescribable, power seem- 
ed to control me, and without knowing by what influence, I found 
myself safe on the bank. 

I remember going down twice, and it seemed ages to me before 
I reached the bottom. All my former life came before me in an 
instant, and I fancied that I could ^ee my mother at home, and I 
seemed to hear her voice as plain as I ever did. 



12 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

My escape from a watery grave was indeed miraculous, but He 
who watches over all, willed it otherwise, and to him I owe my 
grateful homage. 

After leaving the Chippewa country, we started across the plains 
of Northern Dakota, to Fort Sully, on the Missouri River. 

While on the journey I visited the Red Pipe Stone Quarry, 
which is situated in the Southwestern part of Minnesota, a few 
miles from the Dakota line. 

The traveler approaching the quarry from the West, reaches 
ripe Stone Creek shortly after leaving the Sioux River, of whieli 
stream the creek is a tributary. 

This creek is held sacred by the Sioux, and in passing to and 
from the quarry, they always stop to refresh themselve and ])i\\ 
homage to the Great Spirit. 

The water is so clear that evei-y tish and pebble can be distinct- 
ly seen on the bottom. 

The quarry is about one mile in length, and one eigtli of a milt: 
in width. Lying as it does, upon a bluff, it can be see for miles 
before reaching it, and at a distance, owing to the innumerable jut- 
tings and irregular excavations made by the Indians while procur- 
ing their pipe-stone, it resembles an Indian village, with all its pe- 
culiar surroundings, so minutely, that at first sight, the effect is 
singularly striking. 

From time immemorable the Sioux Indians have secured stone 
for making pipes and tomahawks at this place, and it is still in 
their possession, having been reserved for them b}^ the Govern- 
ment, in accordance with a treaty made with that tribe. 

They guard it with a jelous eye, and never allow Indians of 
other tribes to visit the spot. 

The late Mr. George Catlin, who spent thirty years among the 
North American Indians, is supposed to be the first white man 
who visited the quarry, which was about the year 1840, while 
with the Sioux in that vicinity. 

The stone is very easy to fashion and susceptible of a beautiful 
polish. It is taken out of the quarry in layers, from one to two 
inches thick. 

Every year, Indians of the Sioux tribe visit the quarry for the 
purpose of worship, and to secure a portion of the stone, which 



BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 13 

they believe, is the petrified remains of their ancestors, washed to 
the spot at the time of the Flood, and turned into stone on account 
of their wickedness, 

The country around the quarry consists of rolling prairie, and it 
is grand and beautiful beyond description. 

After remaining a short time at Fort Sully, 1 started for Sioux 
City on foot, a distance of three hundred miles, entirely alone, and 
armed only with a navy revolver, although m^^ route for more than 
half the wa}^, lay through an unbroken wilderness inhabited by 
hostile Indians. 

The soldiers gave me a supply of provision before I left the fort, 
but when that run out, I was obliged to seek it elsewhere. A duck, 
rabbit, or prairie-chicken, roasted on a forked stick held over a 
fire, alkaline-water, and a bed out on the open prairie, was my fare. 

Ff there was any romance in this J failed to see it, and I heartily 
wished myself back in old Pennsylvania, where "square meals" and 
good water abound. 

If boys who have good homes and kind parents, only knew what 
a life of hardsliip and sutt'erini::; awaits them, when they leave the 
comforts of home to seek pleasure in adventure, they would surely 
think differently of it. No matter where we may go. or what we 
may do, home is the centre to which the heart will invariabh' turn. 

During the first few days I had the good fortune to meet with 
no Indians, although I frequently came to places where they had 
camped, and all along the way, I found Indian graves, or more 
properly, elevated platforms, upon which the dead bodies had been 
])laced, wrapped in a blanket or robe, and accompanied by all the 
weapons and instruments used by the deceased while living. 

This is a custom peculiar to the Sioux. The Chippewas and n 
few other tribes, place the body on the surface, and erect a small 
hut of bark or limbs over it. Others put the body in a deep grave, 
in a sitting posture. Sometimes, if any deaths occur while on the 
march, among the Sioux, the bodies are fastened in the crotch of 
a tree, after having been previously wrapped in a robe. 

While hunting on the Republican River, in Kansas, I found a 
few graves of this kind containing the bodies of Northern Sioux. 

The Sioux lament long and violently for their dead, and fre- 
([uently inflict severe wounds upon themselves to increase their 



14 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

lamentations. When a death occurs, the female relations of the de- 
ceased, go out alone on the bluffs to weep, so that the warriors 
may not be obliged to witness their weakness, for the Indians deem 
the shedding of tears, an evidence of great cowardice. 

On one occasion, while among the Sioux, a warrior died in the 
village, notwithstanding all the incantations of the medicine man, 
who kept up his chanting and howling for hours, and the warrior's 
squaw, after spending the night on the hills weeping, returned and 
sacrificed her pony. 

To the general reader, a more extended description of the man- 
ners and customs of the Indians, as well as my experience amoncjj 
them, might prove interesting, but the limits of the work forbid 
its insertion. 

"Fanny Kelly's Captivity Among The Sioux," written by her- 
self, with all of woman's pathos and power, is probaI)le the most 
complete and comprehensive work of the kind ever published, and 
while it graphically delineates the Indian, in all his cruelty' and 
l)arbarism, it gives a minute and elaborate description of Indian 
(character and habits in general. 

On the fourth day after leaving the fort, I was greatl}' terrified 
by suddenly finding myself in close proximity to a large party 
of Brule Sioux encamped in the timber along the Missouri. 

I turned instantly, and shaping my course for a clump of trees, 
left no grass grow under my feet, but this effort brought me into 
the very difficulty I hoped to evade. 

The instant I reached the timber, five Indians sprang up from 
the bushes, with drawn tomahawks, and upon seeing me, exclaim- 
ed : "Eu, scab ho-kes-hedan!" (O, a white boy !) and without fui- 
ther ceremony, they came forward and handled me in a mannei 
that put me ill at ease. 

First a red handkerchief, which one of them found in my pocket, 
attracted his attention, and in a short time he took possession of it 
himself. My pocket-knife and other little articles, soon followed. 
He then reached for my revolver, but not caring to part with it 
just then, I drew it from the scabbard, and held it in my hand. He 
understood me, and reaching out his brawn}' hand, said: "Token, 
koda? Brule Lah-ko-tah wash-ta-to," (How do you do, friend? the 
Brule Indian is very good). 



BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 15 

They then informed me, that if I would accompany them to their 
(iamp, they would give me some ''tah-rin-chah woy-ute," or deer 
meat. I Jcnew it would be useless to refuse, and I did not want to 
anger them by doing So, for I was on dangerous ground, and know- 
ing that to reject offered hospitality, is considered a great insult 
by the Sioux, J followed them with as much courage as I could 
summon. 

All the stories I had ever heard of Indian cruelty and barbar- 
ism, now came to my mind with tenfold more vividness. 

Thoughts of the bloody scalping-knife, and the fiery stake, 
crowded through my troubled mind. 

On reaching the camp, I was immediately surrounded by a grouj) 
of hideously painted and adorned warriors, who wanted to know 
where I lived, how many whites were near, and how well they were 
armed. They then led me into a " tepe," or lodge, where several 
other Indians were smoking, and making ''chi-cha-cha" (the bark 
of red willow, dried, pulverized, and used for smoking, when to- 
bacco is scarce). 

They motioned me to a seat in their midst, and then began to ex- 
amine my clothes, and one young brave, named "Minne Tonkah." 
or Big Water, wanted to take my shoes, but I had no desire to 
part with them, and arose to leave the lodge, but they followed me, 
and compelled me to sit down again, The}'^ then took my revol- 
ver, and were in the act of taking my coat, when an old gray-head- 
ed chief entered, and greeted me in the most friendly manner. 

The moment he entered, the demeanor of the Indians changed, 
and they immediately gave me my pistol. He then beckoned for 
me to follow him. which I did very willingly, for I was glad to get 
away from the rest. 

He conducted me to his tepe, near by, and directed his "tow- 
itchy" (wife) to prepare dinner for me. The meal consisted of a 
kind of pan-cake, made of Fort Sull^' flour, antelope steak, and 
mint-tea. 

I was not at all hungry, for my appetite had been frightened 
away by my first meeting with the Indians, and the way the old 
lady went about serving up the repast, did not improve it in the 
least, however, I managed to dispose of a portion of it; but many 
times after this, while with the Sioux, I would have deemed it good. 



16 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

The old chiefs name was " Tin-tah Shun-kah," or Prairie Dog. 
He seemed to be very friendly toward the whites, and treated me 
kindly, but he did not want to let me continue my journey, saying 
as an excuse, that some of the other Indians would kill me before 
J could reach the settlements. 

Being perfectly safe while with him, and not really having an 
opportunity to leave in safety, for the other Indians were constant- 
ly Avatching an opportunity to rob me of my clothes and pistol, 1 
concluded to remain with him awhile. 

I remained several weeks in the village, when an ojjportunity 
hereafter mentioned, offered for me to leave, 

Prairie Dog took great delight in teaching me the Sioux lan- 
guage, and he would sit for hours telling me the names of different 
objects, all of which I carefully noted down in a little journal 
which I always carried with me, and in a short time, I learned the 
use and meaning of several hundred words, which with signs, and 
other auxiliaries, common among all the North American Indians, 
enabled me to talk with them quite freely. 

There are, I believe, about twenty different tribes in the 8ioux 
nation, and nearly all of them speak a slightly different dialect of 
the language, and many words are different in the different dia- 
lects. Buffalo in Yankton and Cheyenne is" tah-ton-kah,'' in San- 
tee and Brule "tin-tah pet." Knife in Brule and Yankton is "me- 
rtah," in Santee, Unkahpah and Cheyenne "is-ahn." Over the 
river in Santee and Yankton is "ah-kahs-ahn-pah," in Titonwan 
" ho-ah-kah-tah." 

Some writers erroneously assert that the Sioux call themselves 
" Dakota," and abhor the name of " Sioux," but such is not the 
case. " Dakota" is a Sioux word, and strictly means "a Sioux 
woman." As no greater insult could possibly be offered a brave, 
tlian to call him a woman, the error can be readily seen. In some 
dialects the word woman, when applied to foreign tribes, is "wee." 
In this village was a young widow who treated me very gra- 
ciously, and having been partial to the society of widows from 
early boyhood, we were soon on terms of friendship. 

A chat with the little widow in her cozy tepe, was quite refresh- 
ing, after stealing away from the old man, liis untruthful yarns, 
and tobacco-smoke. 



BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 17 



CHAPTER II. 

A HORIIID SPEf'TArLE--A BLOODY SCALP DANCE-RAMBLING-A FRIKNDLV KNGlNEBK-HINTh; 
FOH DISSATISFIED BOYS-LOST ON THE PRAIRIE-FRIKNDLY INDIAN8~THK PANGS OK 
THIRST--" ho! for THE WEST!"' 

My last hours with the Brules were marked V)y a terrible remem- 
brance — a scene that can never be forgotten. 

The day before, several Ponca Indians from the Niobrara River, 
were caught in the act of stealing ponies near the camp. Reing 
deadl}' enemies of the Sioux, they were instantly shot, and muti- 
lated in the most shocking manner. 

After dragging them through the camp until the close of the fol- 
lowing day, they cut off' the head, arms, and legs of the victims, 
and placed them on poles erected for the purpose. 

As soon as the work was completed, the warriors asseml)led to 
perform the scalp-dance, adorned and painted in the most frightful 
manner. Some were covered with the skin of the buffalo, even the 
huge head and horns were adjusted, beneath which, the hideously 
[)ainted and distorted face, only half revealed by the flickering 
blaze, formed a picture, that imagination fancies, could only be 
found in the Lower Region. 

A number of warriors formed in a cicle around the poles, to 
which were fastened the Ponca scalps. Inside of the circle, were 
several fires, over which were suspended a number of laige pots 
containing "shiui-kah wy-ute," or dog's meat. 

Among the Sioux, Pawnee, Omaha, and a few other tribes of tlic 
Plains, the dog is considered sacred, and he is only sacraflced on 
the occasion of a feast. 

About five hundred Indians took part in the dance, all jumpin;!^ 
upon both feet at the same time, with such force, as to shake tin 
very ground beneath them. 

As usual on such occasions, they employed the most outlandish 
gestures, and uncouth attitudes, yelling the fearful war-cry, and 
striking towards each other with their weapons, as though they 
were the most deadly enemies. 



18 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

At intervals of about twenty minutes they all stopped dancing, 
and after uttering the war-hoop in concert, seated themselves on 
the ground in a circle, when each one was served with a portion 
of the dog's meat by old men who officiated as waiters. 

On this occasion they paid no attention to the dressing of the 
meat, the whole dog — hair, head, entrails, and all, were put into the 
pot an(i boiled until soft. 

The chief, after disposing of his portion, made a short speech, 
niul then took a scat on the ground, cross-legged, according to the 
custom, when about fifty of the Indians arose, and began to dance 
again. Soon they were joined b}- the whole party, when the yel- 
ling and stamping grew furious and faster. As they became more 
excited, their faces became horribly distorted, their glittering, 
snake-like eyes protruded with a fiendish, indescribable appear- 
ance, as they gnashed their teeth, and ])y simultaneous sounds and 
motions, tried to imitate the sibilant, gurgling sound of death in 
battle 

No pen can describe the frightful scene in all its fearful barbari- 
ty, as the bloody scalps were held aloft in the light of the flicker- 
ing blaze, and their uncouth and reeling forms were only half re- 
vealed by the council-fire. 

It was a sight that I can never forget, and now a#I set the type 
on this page, the scene comes to my mind with striking vividness. 

This ceremony is always performed at night, consequently its 
terrible characteristics are greatly increased by the weird glare of 
the fire. 

About midnight, when all but the squaws and children were en- 
gaged in the ceremony, I took advantage of the excitement that 
prevailed and crept silentl}' away. When I reached the open 
l>rairie I took to my heels, thankful that I had escaped so well. 

I traveled all that night, and the next morning I came to a vil- 
lage containing several hundred Yanktons. Some of them were 
very surly, and after " going through" my pockets, handled me 
rather roughly. Even a few of the squaws partook of the spirit of 
their lords, and assailed me with fire-brands, saying: ^'Pato wash- 
ta, wah-sechah" (fire is good, white man). The majority of them, 
however, were kindly disposed toward me. As was my custom, 
while among the Indians, I made it a point to find friends among 



\ 



BOYS, STAY AT HOME. J9 

the old and head men, and in this camp I was very successful. 

In the village was an Omaha chief who had been to Wash- 
ington a short time before to see the President, and while in Phil- 
adelphia, a gentleman belonging to the Order of Red Men, pre- 
sented this red "brother" with a Red Man's silver badge, upon 
which was carved the following: "A. Sanders, Philadelphia, Pa." 

Among these Yanktons were many who had taken part in the 
Minnesota massacre, at New Ulm, in 1862, also at the indiscrimi- 
nate slaughter of men, women, and children, at Spirit Lake, Min- 
nesota. They are friendly by pretense, and receive annuities from 
the Government, but at heart the}' are Sioux Indians. 

From these Indians, as well as from others that I have been 
among, I obtained various impliments in use by them — pipes, tom- 
ahawks, arrows, ornaments, etc. If I ever have a ''towitchy" and 
a "tepe," after all these years of "roving," the Indian mementoes 
will occupy a prominent place in it. 

The village, consisting of about two hundred lodges, was ro- 
mantically situated on a ridge of bluffs, about a mile fr(^m the 
Missouri. Being th.e month of July, the prairies were very beauti- 
ful. Almost as far as the eye could reach was one vast exj)anse 
of tall waving grass, which being moved to and fro by the wind, 
resembled a mighty water, with all its heaving, rolling billows, 
l)ounded by nothing but the deep blue sky above. 

One day, during my stay with the Yanktons, 1 went about a 
mile from the village with a chief named "Manka," who had be- 
come singularly attached to me. and in whose tei)e 1 lived wliile 
in the village. We went to the top of a high bluff, from which 
could be seen the surrounding country for many miles. What a 
sight — one to make the very soul expand with lofty thought and 
the frail teniment sink into nothing before its magnificence. 

On every hand wag miles and miles of the most sublime, the 
most enchanting scene I had ever beheld. In ever}' direction was 
the mighty prairie, covered with luxurient grass and the blooming 
wild flowers. Every now and then groups of timid antelo{)e, and 
flocks of birds of beautiful plumage appeared, and heightened the 
beauty of the scene. I stood and marked all with that jwetical 
feeling of pleasant sadness which these lovel}- prairies awaken in 
the breast of the lover of nature. Far away in the distance was 



A 



20 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

long ridges of conical shaped mounds, wrapped in the dim screen 
of dreamy haze, and the false, fascinating mirage, which so often 
deludes by its resemblance to streams of water, appeared con- 
stantly on all sides. 

As I stood there like one riveted to the spot by the grandeur of 
my surroundings, the chief, whom I had entirelj' forgotten, remind- 
ed me that it was growing late. On the way to the village the 
thought came to my mind, "Soon all will be changed. The pio- 
neer's plow will break the prairie, and his drill will deposit in the 
['urrov,'s the grains of corn and wheat soon to spring up instead oi" 
the prairie grass and flowers. The white man's substantial house 
will take the place of the Indian tepe, and the "iron-horse," brin;^- 
ing with it commerce and the luxuries of civilization, will thun- 
der across the prairie now traversed bj' the Indian and his pony. 

Already I fancied the white man's village in the bend of the 
river, the spires of the village church towering above the tree tops, 
and in the valley beyond, the cows and sheep quietly grazinsr. 

One day I was astonished to find a lovely little blue-eyed girl, 
nbout seven years of age, in a tepe with an Indian family. She 
Avas dressed and ornamented with trinkets like the Indian chil 
(Iren. 

The sight of the little girl among these savage looking Indians 
filled me with strange and conflicting emotions. Immediately I 
asked myself the question. " How did she get among them, and 
where are her ])arents?" A burning caltin, father and mother mui 
deied, and the little orphan carried away as a captive, was the first 
s(;eue to be imagined. I addressed her in the Sioux tongue, " To- 
ken chis-te-nah wah-se-chah wee?" (How do you do, little white 
woman)? She came to me immediately, and seemed glad to see 
one of her own race. She had forgotten much of her early life, but 
informed me that her name was Curry, that the Indians had killed 
her mother, and that her father and sisters lived with the Brules. 

She was happy and contented with her surroundings, and said 
that she liked the Indians. I asked her if she would not like to 
have some nice dresses and a doll, like other little white girls, she 
rei>lied: "Yes, but I want to stay here, the Indians are so kind. " 

A few days after leaving the village I reached the Yankton Re- 
serve, in charge of Mr. John (J. Gasmann. This gentleman is a 



*B0T8, STAY AT HOME. '^1 

"model Indian agent," which is a curioaity at the present day. 

On reaching the mouth of Choteau Creek I crossed the Missouri 
with some Indians, in a canoe, and visited the Poncas. Among 
these Indians I witnessed the council-dance and other ceremonies. 

On reaching Sioux City I went to Saint Paul, and from there 
I started for Chicago. 

At night I slept in freight-cars and saw-mills, and when a place 
in the latter could not be obtained, I occupied the ground-floor of 
"mother earth," or the soft side of a plank. During the day, when 
an opportunity offered, I monopolized the platform of a moving 
car, and satisfied the cravings of hunger on wild plums. 

At Baraboo, Wisconsin, I climbed into the engine of the south 
bound express train on the Chicago & North-Western Railroad. I 
was weary, hungry, wet to the skin, and above all, I had a terrible 
bad attack of the "blues." The engine was in charge of engineer 
t^Iecox, an old railroad man and a great favorite on the road. His 
kind, genial face gave me assurance, as I got into his cab, and in 
answer to my applicati(>n for a ride, he said: "Certainly, my dear 
boy; you look like a good, honest young fellow. Get up on the 
fireman's box, wrestle with the contents of this dinner-pail, and 
make yourself easy. I have been on the tramp myself and know 
what it is. It comes to the most of us in a life-time." 

Should this ever meet his eye, he will know that he has not been 
forgotten by the tramj) whose gloomy path he brightened by a ride 
on his "iron-horse." 

There is no feeling of being utterly friendless, so great as that 
experienced by a stranger on entering a city on a dark, rainy, 
niglit alone, and without the hope of seeing one familiar face, cold, 
hungry, no place to lay your head, while from the grand and brill- 
iantly illuminated parlors issue the merry voices of the happy ones 
within, reminding you painfully of your own forlorn condition. 

Hoys, stay at home, give up all foolish ideas of roving, and you 
will be much happier and more contented than if you had traveled 
over the whole world. The most contented people are those who 
never cared to roam. 

On reaching Chicago I obtained a position on the Sun, where I 
remained a year, and then went to Canada. I soon became "broke," 
and tiien started for New Orleans, by way of Niagara Falls, Ix-stou, 



■^ 



32 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

Philadelphia, and Richmond, and had a pretty rough time of it.,*^ 

At Hagerstown, Maryland, I was very kindly entertained and 
favored by Mr. Miller, the gentlemanly telegraph operator of the 
Cumberland Valley Railroad, also by Mr. Gruber, a "brother" op- 
erator. 1 remember them with profound respect. 

I remained but a short time in Xew Orleans, and then started for 
Saint Louis. After a short stay in the latter city I started for the 
West again, and after working awhile at the printing business in 
Dakota and Ne))raska, I turned up at Ellsworth, Kansas. Here I 
joined a party of buffalo hunters, and accompanied them to the 
head waters of the Republican River. After roving for several 
months over the plains, between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers, 
we started for Fort Ilarker with two wagon loads of buffalo hides. 

I would have made a handsome "stake" had I reached the fort 
with the hides, hut 1 was doomed to be disappointed. One day 
while hunting I became separated from my companions, and night 
coming on, I was unable to find them. All night long I searched 
for them, but in vain. I must have wandered miles away, or I 
could have found mj' way to camp by the aid of the hunters' fire. 

p]arly in tha morning 1 unexpectedly reached a camp of North- 
ern Sioux Indians in the timber on the bank of the Smoky Hill 
River. They were A^ery friendly, and the leader promised to take 
me with him to Fort Wallace. 

Near this spot, on the river bank, the Germain family were sur- 
prised and attacked by the Cheyenne Indians, in the following sum- 
mer, while on tliiiir way to Colorado. The father, mother, one son. 
and a daughter, were cruelly murdered on the spot. Katie, the 
eldest surviving daughter, a handsome and accomplished young 
lady, and her three younger sisters were carried away as captives. 

After months of suffering and privation, they were released by 
General Miles, agent of the Cheyennes. 

It is supposed that it was Cheyennes of this same party wlui 
murdered Surveyor Short, his son, and party, on Crooked Creek, 
in Kansas, a short time after the attack upon the Germain family. 

In my late interview with Miss Germain and Mrs. Short, in Kan- 
sas, they informed me that some of Mr. Short's horses were seen 
in the camp of the Cheyennes who held the Germain sisters. 

It is hoped that the Government will make an appropriation 



BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 



23 



to the ladies, so cruelly deprived by these wards of the nation. 

Before leaving camp one of the Sioux informed me that we would 
pass through a beautiful wood-land country abounding in good 
water, timber, and game. The falseness of his statement was soon 
made apparent; not a drop of water could be found, and the ground 
was so thickly covered with the disagreeable cactus plant and al- 
kai, that it was impossible for any thing but Indians and rattle- 
snakes to exist long on its surface. When going on a journey 
where water is not to be had, the Sioux carry two small sticks, 
called by them, "minne cahn" (water wood) which they chew at 
entorvals, thus producing saliva and preventing the parching sen- 
sation I experienced. 1 could not find relief by resorting to such 
means, andjbhe agony I endured no pen can describe. 

After traveling about thirty miles I grew very faint, and it was 
only by great effort that I kept from falling off my horse, and on 
reaching a large overhanging rock that lay in my course, I drop- 
ped to. the ground and crept beneath its inviting shade. The In- 
dians saw the movement, and coming to me immediately, urged 
me to push on. assuring me there was water a short distance b<v 
yond. I climbed upon the rock and scaned the horizon in every 
direction, but no water was to be seen, nothing but the false mirage 
met my eager gaze. In a fit of despair I sank to the ground at the 
base of the rock and concluded that there I must die. My tongue 
was parched and swollen so that I could not speak, and objects 
before me were nb longer plainly visible. I felt that I was fast 
being overcome by the strange, indescribable stupor, that knows 
no waking when brought on by the pangs of thirst. 

Toward evening we reached a small tributary of the Smoky Hill 
River. Although the water was very nauseous and strongly im- 
pregnated with alkali. I found relief from tlie terrible agony of 
thirst. 

At this stream we camped over night, and the next morning re- 
sumed our journey to the fort, which we reached in a few hours. 

In a few days I took a trip to Fort Lyon, Pueblo, Pikes Penk. 
Denver, and Salt Lake City. Here I remained for several weeks, 
and then started Westward. After traveling among the Ute, Pah- 
Ute, and Shoshone Indians in Utah and Nevada, I turned up al 
Calibtoga, California, a small mountain town that sports a " Week- 



24 BOYS, STAY AT HOME. 

ly Tribune." Here I remained until the following Spring, when I 
went to Fort Lincoln, in Dakota, from which point I started for 
the Black Hills; but like many others, mj^ plans were defeated by 
the savage Sioux. 

I may, at some future time, publish a work on my experience 
and adventures among the Sioux Indians. 

At West Point, Nebraska, I was greatly favored by Mr. Clar- 
ance Seleigh, an estimable young man and foreman of the "West 
PoTNT Republican. 

On my way East I passed through Scribner, Nebraska, and for 
the kindness and courtesy of Mr. Helm, the handsome young tele- 
grai)h operator of the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad at Scribner, I 
'(jwe my warmest resi)ect. 

At Sterling, Illinois, I formed the actpiaintance of Mr. St. John, 
a fatherly old gentleman, and a friend of the "young man in n, 
strange city." Through his influence I obtained a position on the 
Rock Falls (111.) Phourkss, published by Messrs. Cadwell & Tuttlc. 

Here I remained for several months and then resumed my jour- 
ney to Pennsylvania. 

At Hock Falls I became acquainted with Dr. H. C. Clements, a 
luominent physician of that place, and a genial, warm-hearted gen- 
tleman. Roth the doctor and his good lady became deeply inter- 
ested in the various phases of my young life, and we were soon fast 
friends. Not yet having learned the necessity of cards, liquor, and 
tobacco, I never Joined my brother j)rinters in their night carou- 
sals, but after the duties of the day, I passed most of the evenings 
at tin; home and in the study of the cordial doctor, I shall ever 
remembei- him and his "better half" with gratitude, for the intei-est 
thej' manifested in the "rover.'' 

I have now reached the end of my little narrative, and although 
it would take volumes, to relate })roperly, ray many adventures and 
"ups and downs," I hope that my effort, poor as it is, will convince 
the reader of the uselessness of "roving," I now hope to banisli 
forever all inclinations to "roam," and with a printing press and a 
" quarter section" of the beautiful prairie land which Uncle Sam 
furnishes, free, to all of his boys, I intend to follow the advice I 
give the readers of "Boys, stay at Home." 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



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